Karen Barth Menzies Receives Highest Attorney Rating From Peers

Baum Hedlund is proud to announce that Karen Barth Menzies is now AV® Peer Review Rated. The Peer Review process was conducted by Lexis-Nexis® Martindale Hubbell®.

According to Martindale Hubbell, the AV® Peer Review Rating identifies a lawyer with very high to preeminent legal ability, is a reflection of the attorney's expertise, experience, integrity and overall professional excellence. Martindale Hubbell's ratings are established by attorneys for attorneys and clearly indicate that these attorneys demonstrate the highest professional and ethical standards.

Karen Barth Menzies heads the firm’s SSRI Antidepressant Litigation Department, representing suicide victims across the country involving Zoloft or Paxil. She is Lead Counsel and member of the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee in charge of the MDL-1574 in re Paxil Products Liability Litigation.

Ms. Barth Menzies has twice testified before the FDA and met with members of the House and Senate regarding the risk of antidepressant induced suicidality. Black box warnings have since been issued for children and adolescents, as well as a public health advisory concerning the suicide risk in adults.

Karen was recently named one of California Lawyer magazine’s, California Lawyers of the Year, one of Lawyer’s Weekly USA’s Lawyers of the Year and recently she was listed in The National Law Journal’s “40 Under 40" for her “extraordinary achievements” and “impressive track record” for “stepping up her fight in the past few years, advocating that pharmaceutical companies should warn about the alleged risks of antidepressant drugs.”

She received her law degree from UC Davis in 1995 and is in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers; Who's Who in American Law; Who's Who in America; Who’s Who of American Women and Southern California Super Lawyers. She is a member of the State Bar of California, Consumer Attorneys of California, American Bar Association, Litigation Section and Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, STEP-Toxic, Environmental and Pharmaceutical Torts Section, Women's Lawyers Association of Los Angeles and the National Association of Women Lawyers.

Baum Hedlund now has nine attorneys with an AV® Peer Review Rating.

The process of the Peer Review Ratings system:

The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings system is based on the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the Judiciary, including both those who are rated and those who are not.

Martindale-Hubbell representatives conduct personal interviews to discuss lawyers under review with other members of the Bar. A compilation of these opinions from various sources is necessary to form a consensus, and lawyers under review are sometimes asked to provide professional references to assist with the process.

In addition, confidential questionnaires are sent to lawyers and judges in the same geographic location and/or area of practice as the lawyer being rated. Members of the Bar are instructed to assess their colleague's legal ability and general ethical standards.

Certification Mark Reference:

"CV, BV and AV are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies."

Rating Explanation:

"Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the Judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell Ratings fall into two categories - legal ability and general ethical standards."